KU loses grip as frontrunner

Published: Sunday, December 27, 1998

RANDY ROSETTAAvalanche-Journal

For whatever reason, achieving parity is a popular battle cry when it comes to sports.

For the first two years of its existence, Big 12 Conference men's basketball hasn't exactly followed the party line. Instead of achieving equality among its members, the Big 12 has so far been one big bully and several other teams that have gone through up-and-down campaigns.

Kansas has been the bully, regularly pummeling league opponents en route to consecutive 15-1 league records and easy Big 12 titles.

Oklahoma is the only other conference team that's finished in the conference's upper division in both seasons and gone on to NCAA Tournament play each year. No other teams have finished with winning Big 12 records both years.

As the 1999 conference season prepares to lift off, however, the complexion of the Big 12 has undergone some serious change. And parity, wanted or not, appears to be the key word in the conference race.

Kansas lost all-Americans Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce to the National Basketball Association, as well as three-year starter Billy Thomas to graduation.

Texas, Iowa State and Texas A&M all start this season with new coaches in Rick Barnes, Larry Eustachy and Melvin Watkins, respectively.

The fallout from the winds of change is what appears to be a wide-open Big 12 race.

Six teams brought back four starters from last year: Tech, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Texas. Three teams besides Kansas Baylor, A&M and Colorado started the year with only two returning starters.

Through the pre-conference portion of the schedule, every team except Baylor and UT have winning records. Kansas State, Missouri and A&M stand atop the Big 12 standings, while KU, Oklahoma and pre-season favorite Oklahoma State are mired in the middle of the pack.

Despite the Cowboys' so-so 7-3 record to date, they appear to be the heir apparent to unseat Kansas. OSU has three of the league's top perimeter players in Adrian Peterson, Desmond Mason and Joe Atkins, as well as one of the Big 12's top guards in Doug Gottlieb.

With senior guard Ryan Robertson leading the way, the Jayhawks are still strong enough to remain in the Big 12's upper echelon. KU has lost three of its past seven games, though, including lopsided setbacks against Kentucky and St. Louis and a defeat at home for the first time in five years to fall out of the AP Top 10.

Oklahoma has stubbed its toe three times in non-league games, but the Sooners figure to battle KU and O-State for the Big 12 crown.

The league's biggest surprise and biggest disappointment are longtime Lone Star State rivals A&M and Texas. The Aggies are 8-2 under Watkins, while the Longhorns have won only twice.

Other than UT, though, Baylor and Iowa State are the only teams that don't appear to be factors in the conference race.

Tech, which reloaded with five junior college transfers after going 13-14 last season, is in a pack of six teams that appear evenly matched. The Red Raiders have been inconsistent so far, but have one of the Big 12's best backcourts in Stan Bonewitz and Rayford Young and a budding star in forward Cliff Owens.

Those three should be enough to allow Tech to contend in a league that will be much more balanced than it has been in its first two years.